The latest series of broadcasts "Awaiting a free Poland" [W oczekiwaniu na wolną Polskę] will provide more insight into the history of Polish emigration. Through interviews with historians, IPN scholars and experts from other research centers, we will learn about the causes and consequences of emigration and get to know the profiles of Poles who played important roles worldwide.
The meetings will be moderated by Jędrzej Lipski, Ph.D. – a director, screenwriter and documentary filmmaker, known for the series about Silesia.
We would like to invite you to watch the premiere of the first episode which will be devoted to the genesis of emigration, mainly political, having its origin in the years 1939-1945. We will talk about the directions of the migration of Polish citizens during the years of World War II – both those of a military and civilian nature. The discussion is also going to focus on Poles’ inherent thirst for freedom, the activities of the legal authorities of the Republic of Poland in exile and the struggle against the Third Reich and its allies.
Jędrzej Lipski, Ph.D. will host experts from the IPN Office of National Education:
Mateusz Marek, Ph.D. (IPN Headquarters)
Ryszard Mozgol (IPN Branch Office in Katowice)
The series is being carried out as part of the "Trails of Hope. Odyssey of Freedom" project.
The "Trails of Hope. The Odyssey of Freedom" educational and commemorative project is aimed at spreading the message of Polish will and commitment to free Europe from totalitarian regimes, both the German and the Soviet. The Trails of Hope should be understood as the collective peregrinations of Polish citizens during the Second World War, soldiers and civilians, driven by the idea of restoring freedom to the world enslaved by the Third Reich and its allies, which were related to the activities of the legal authorities of the Republic of Poland. The project, with the accompanying exhibition, was inaugurated in Warsaw in March this year, but since then has already visited a number of countries, from South Africa, Zimbabwe and the United States, to Iran and Canada. It has so far reached four continents. It is now going to be presented in further locations, including Uzbekistan, Georgia and Kirgizstan. This endeavour entails much more than an exhibition. "Trails of Hope" is also about education, commemoration and the renovation of memorials. It is also about meeting the members of Polish diaspora abroad as well as local people cherishing the memory of Polish liberators. Strong emphasis is put on finding relevant archival sources and recording the accounts of people who can remember the war years.The exhibition consists of two parts: a general one, telling the story of Poles during the war struggles, and a local one, devoted to the history of Poles in a given country or region.
More on the project : https://szlakinadziei.ipn.gov.pl/sne